2-28-01 - Landmark Theater, Richmond, Virginia

Date: Fri, 2 Mar 2001 15:16:42 -0500
From: Daryl McCuiston dyerwolf@mediaone.net
To: dws@gadiel.com
Subject: Richmond Review
 
Let me preempt this by indicating this was my first Trey solo
experience. Have you ever been wowwed? I mean jaw drop from beginning to end,
no real way to describe what you just experienced, wowwed? This was my
Richmond experience, so let me try to put into words what was one of the most
amazing nights of music I have seen.
    A little about the venue/scene: The Landmark Theatre is an amazing place
to see music- acoustically mind-blowing with an old world theatre feel. Not
really a bad seat in the house. The landmark, for those unfamiliar with the
venue is actually snuggled in Virginia Commonwealth University's campus.
Practically all of the buildings surrounding the park and theatre are dorms
and classrooms. VCU is my Alma Mata, so I was really jazzed about this
"Homecoming". The scene outside was pretty cool. kinda small, but not a lot
of hassle from the police. I actually saw a Richmond city cop, just tell
someone to pour out their beer. No real hassle, just pour it out.
    As I entered the Landmark I could feel this was going to be a special
night. When I got to my seats (6th row center) I was ready to combust. This
was more than I could dream of. I think everyone around was real appreciative
of the venue and the intimacy it was about to provide.
       On to the show> I'll try to describe highlights, which may be tough
since ,imo, the whole show was a highlight. The lights went down and the
place went nuts. You could tell everyone on stage was happy to be playing
together and feeding off of the crowd's energy. Was trey calling out songs or
telling Tony to steal home?
 
Highlights,imo:
    From he opening song, I realized, this group is TIGHT! The horns added a
dimension that was simple perfection. Trey really seemed to be feeding off of
the horns and letting them do their their thing as only they know how.
    Small axe opener? Bob Marley! oh yes. I'm already in awe. Boogieing my
butt off!
 
    I done done it: really cool R&B feel. Reminded me of Julius
.
    Sunday Morning: Very mellow, but gave everyone a chance to shine.
 
    Jibboo: I know people have talked about this Jibboo, but there really is
no way to describe it : this was the BEST jibboo ever. I will stand behind
that bold statement until someone can prove it wrong. GET THE TAPE FOR THE
JIBBOO if for nothing else.
 
    out of a nice jazzy jam comes  !!!!!!Landlady!!!!! WHOA! could this get
any better??? And this is only the first set :)
 
Set 2 Highlights:
Ok When I said above get the tape for the Jiboo if for no other reason,
here's a couple of other reasons:
 
 First Tube:This was my personal highest highlight of the evening. The energy
put into this version was more than anything I have ever seen before.
Spinning lights ala YEM and insane jamming. All I could think was : the
mothership has landed! I was emotionally drained after this because of the
rollercoaster the band piloted with this version. I looked up at the two
balconies during the middle of the song and the place was collectively
getting the fuck off. INSANE!!! >
 
Sand: Very nice to hear this. The version was real spacey and brought
everyone back to earth from that First Tube. Beautiful version that seemed to
last a while.
 
At the Gazebo: Simply beautiful. The landmark's acoustics responding to these
musicians talents. ( have to agree with Trey, The cymbal part was cool)
 
Strange design: Trey finally on acoustic after the funk fest we were treated
too. Funny comments about Virginia's slogan as opposed to Jersey's. The crowd
was super appreciative and silent (except for the drunk guy beside me who
kept yelling "TREY!!! TREYYY!!! PLAY SOME PHEEEEISSHHH!!!!" respect, dude,
respect). Nice to hear this, hadn't in quite some time and the guy beside me
got his "Pheeeeish"
 
Dave Matthews. Love him or hate him, you gotta admit this guy is talented as
hell. With him and Trey both trading licks on stage, I felt I was privilege
to two masters at work. Unreal. Thanks Dave for helping us get down.
 
Covert Fest!!!! 3 little birds,(Two Marley's in one night!!!!) Whatever gets
you through the night, I want to take you higher!!! wrapped it up Sly-style
on a night that proved much funkier than I expected.
 
 
All in all, in my top 3 all time shows. Get the tape and go see Trey when you
can, you will be wowwed.
 
Babble Babble,
Daryl

Date: Thu, 1 Mar 2001 20:35:37 -0800
From: Carolina Taylor mamacita88@hotmail.com
To: dws@netspace.org
Subject: review Landmark 2001
 
I would like to start out by saying two things:
 
One, this show had significant emotional ties for me because being a native
of Richmond, I grew up in that theater.  I danced many performances for many
years on that stage with the Richmond Ballet and know that beautiful theater
like the back of my hand.
 
Two, this was the first show I've gone to completely sober in my life and I
must say, the music was a clearer and crisper than I've ever heard.  The
ability to focus inexhaustibly to every note and tempo throughout the entire
show is an unbelievable experience that still made all the hair on my body
stand straight at times.
 
With that being said; having heard the mixed reviews of previous shows, I
came into the theater with low expectations.  I am so glad I did because this
show blew my expectations (and all the other reviews) out of the water.  I
think Trey and friends began to congeal at this stage of their tour.  They
sounded pretty tight with the exception of a few blunders here and there.
 
First set was full of energy and thrust.  I thoroughly enjoyed Trey's
experimentation with different dimensions of musicality.  Especially the
latin grooves they got into on several tunes.  Landlady had to be the
highlight of the 1st set for me mainly because I am a latina myself, hence,
it is one of my favorite phish songs.  Signed, sealed, delivered was also
energetic and fun.  I really enjoyed Jennifer's performance ... she certainly
is talented and it is so nice to see her shine in the presence of other
musical greats.
 
Second set was less energetic, but still good.  The crowd went wild when the
first notes of 1st Tube were played ... (personally not my favorite) but it
was ok.  It was nice to hear Sand again ... It was also nice to see Trey
having such a great time.  He was bouncing around like a giddy little kid ...
it was wonderful to see his spirit so joyful.  I really enjoyed At the
gazebo ... it is very classical and beautifully orchestrated.  I am curious
to hear At the barbecue.  Strange Design was beautiful as well.  And then
comes Dave ... I must say, I was surprised, not excitingly surprised, just
surprised.  I like his vocal abilities and that's about it.
 
All in all, it was a very different show that explored the world of music
as I know it.  I hope Trey continues to work with this bunch in the future.
He is truly a free spirit with these guys (and girl:)
 
carolina


Date: Thu, 1 Mar 2001 23:10:24 -0500
From: Michael Mattix mattixm@washpost.com
To: dws@gadiel.com
Subject: Richmond Review
 
Wow!!!!  Last night's show at the Landmark in Richmond was one to remember,
savor, and hold on to for a long, long time.  My two Trey installments this
tour were the Blacksburg and Richmond shows and I can't tell you how
different these two show were.  What makes this difference even more
surprising is that many of the same songs were played both nights.
Blacksburg almost seemed like a period of rest for the band, especially
Trey.  They were tight and at times were able to develop very luscious
dance grooves but overall I thought the Blacksburg performance was a bit
uninspired.  Some reasons for this I think might be the long night/day of
travel from Cleveland to Blacksburg and also the fact that this was the
only show of the tour that is on a college campus. . . the vibe/energy both
inside and outside of the show was much more subdued than Richmond and
almost seemed to mirror the institutional feel of the large brick academic
buildings that surrounded Burrus Auditorium on the V-Tech campus.  Most of
the Blacksburg show Trey seemed content to act more as a band leader,
pointing out different folks for solos and orchestrating many of the
complex new tunes he brought to this tour.  I enjoyed this show because I
could visibly see how much Trey himself was enjoying it.  I think it's
great that he has a chance to do a tour with good friends and collaborators
of his where he has the control to decide to lay back and feature other
members of his band or take charge and melt all of minds the way he has so
many times in the past.
 
Wednesday night in Richmond was one such mind melting experience.  While
there was all the texture and subtlety present from the previous night in
Blacksburg, Wednesday night saw Trey and his band flat out getting after
it.  Many repeats from the night before were given much more extended
treatments and all the band members seemed to be on the same page from the
opening notes of Battle Axe.  Opening songs up to see where they may lead
to were the norm on this night and the extended jams, solos, and
arrangements of both newer and older material seemed to strike a deep chord
among the audience.
 
 Some personal hightlights:  Both the First Tube and Jibboo were epic, high
energy versions that at times left my jaw sagging toward the ground.  Sand
was good but not great.  Done, Done It saw Grippo's sax sending soaring
solos cascading around the theater.  Burlap Sacks and Pumps was incredibly
tight and funky.   Both Let's Go Downtown and Signed, Sealed, and Delivered
were groovefest sing-alongs.  Push on Til the Day>Tube Top Wobble appeared
at both Blacksburg and Richmond in almost identical spots on the setlist
and yet the latter pairing was almost unrecognizable from the former, at
least in the jam following the composed segments of both songs.  The band
really seems to have found a level of comfort with many of these new songs
and as a result are much more proned to deeper explorations of this
material.  The acoustic  Strange Design was beautiful and touching, with
Trey handling both his guitar and vocal duties adeptly.  And of course the
surprise of the night came in the form of local boy Dave Mathews joining
first the full band for an acoustic treatment of a DMB song, then just Trey
and Dave for a Three Little Birds duet,  and ending the show with Lennon's
Whatever Gets You Through the Night.  I went to school at James Madison U.
from the early to the mid 90's and had a chance to see Dave Mathews both
solo and with his band many, many times.  I saw him play dive bars for $5
covers and I saw him and his bandmates develop into very fine musicians
both individually and collectively.  But I hadn't seen Dave since '95 for a
variety of reasons, foremost being that he's been charging $50 a ticket for
both stadium and arena shows.  I simply refuse to pay ten times more to see
him now then I paid back in school. . . does anyone think he's actually a
ten times better musician now then 6-8 years ago???  Anyway, it was a
pleasure to see him perform again, especially sharing the stage with such
an accomplished group of musicians.  Seeing the interaction between the
horns during I Wanna Take You Higher and the vocal back and forth between
Dave and Jennifer during the same song was also a very special treat.  And
lastly, hearing the band bust into The Landlady simply made me smile,
smile, smile. . . . . .
 
I've read in other reviews and just through talking to people that some
have been disappointed in the Trey Tour up to this point-----I'm here to
tell you don't believe the hype.  Whether it's a more chilled, subdued
environment where Trey is taking a step back and allowing others to be
featured more prominently or it's an all out jamfest---this band and this
tour are rapidly picking up steam and shouldn't be missed by anyone who has
a chance to see them.  Once again my hat is off to Mr. Trey Anastasio, the
unquestionable King of the jamhappy exquisitely funky groove!!
 
Peace,
Mike

Date: Thu, 1 Mar 2001 18:30:39 -0500
From: *Sarah*Benson* bensonsk@jmu.edu
To: dws@netspace.org
Subject: The Landmarks the place for me.....
 
 
This is the first review I have ever written....
 
  That said please don't skip over it! I have been really pumped for
the Landmark show since I scored orchestra tickets at the beginning of
the month. I was like others a little wary of going and seeing a bunch
of phish songs or having to deal with an unreceptive audience due to
the lack of phishy content.
   I was pleasently suprised though, I think Trey did a wonderful job
mixing it up and choose great phish songs too use. The energy of the
crowd was amazing as well. Trey felt it too and he was more energetic
and "into" the music than I think I've ever noticed. Because I don't
have the expert muscian critic sorta stuff to comment on I will tell
you a few of my highlights....
        The first set was awesome just due to the unrelentless energy
that kept the crowd on its feet dancing. Jibboo was fabulous, the horns
make that song I think. It was great to be able to dance in the aisles
with plenty of room and kind people all around.
        Signed Sealed and Delivered was a great song to close on and
Jennifer Hartswick made sure of that. On a side note I am really
excited that a lady, ecspecially one so enerjetic and awesome up there
playing with the men.
        Second set security began to blow!!! This one security dude was
ridiculous with not letting people dance in the aisles making it mildly
cramped. I have to give a shout out to the AWESOME FAMILY that let me
sneak into their row with them until he had passed us. By second set I
already knew this was a top ten show for me, and was really looking
forward to some acoustic trey. Before I got that I got a very very
incredible first tube that blew me straight into an equally awesome
sand. When he put the electric down and grabbed the acoustic though I
was extrememly excited. I fell in love with at the gazebo. It is a
beautiful song. Hearing strange design acoustic was also really nice. I
have to give the audience a little credit for finally managing to cool
down and not yell so that we could really enjoy this part of the set.
        I was overwhelmed when dave came out!! I really respect dave
and have been seeing him for many years now. I did not get to see him
this past year due to lack of funding and over priced tickets so having
him come out was a double treat. The audience participation in three
little birds was key, as was the little flubs here and there by both
men.  Then Dave and Jennifer rocked Higher. I was very very impressed
with this song, her voice was so strong, and dave really got into it.
Trey of course sounded really good too... ;)
 
Overall this show is going down as number one for me. I loved it,
everything fell into place, the crowds energy, the band, and special
guests.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Once we believe in ourselves we can risk curiosity,
wonder,spontaneous delight or any experience that reveals
the human spirit."  ~ e.e. cummings
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
 
--
Benson, Sarah K
bensonsk@jmu.edu


Date: Thu, 1 Mar 2001 18:23:12 EST
From: Icculus2002@aol.com
To: dws@netspace.org
Subject: review for 2-28-01
 
Id like to start off by saying this was my first show, Trey or phish, (I did
have tickets for Hampton '99 but they disappeared.) but I know what I'm
talking about. I've heard many shows and have been folowing Trey's solo tour.
 I'm from Richmond and I think the Landmark is a really cool venue. There are
not many shows there though. I had fourth row horn side seats.  The first set
I thought was amazing.   Grippo took and amazing horn solo during I Done It.
Gotta Jibboo was the highlight of the first set for me. There was no security
aorund me (for the first set) so i grooved on up to the front.  The jam was
amazing. The way the jam prgressed and then the amazing finally was great.  I
heard the jibboo from the Roseland Ballroom, which was longer, but I thought
this version was better.  Downtown was good.   I heard the onpening part for
Landlady and was really surprised. Trey hadn't played any electric phish
songs except for sand and first tube, but that jam.  Jennifer Hartswick did a
good job on backup vocals during signed, sealed, delivered.  Set 2.  Security
sucked.  Some guy kept getting mad if someone just stepped a bit in the aisle
to dance. It was cramped cause everyone wanted to get close. It sucked. The
music started off alright. Acting like the devil was really good, and first
tube i thought was the highlight of the show.  The jam was similar to the one
in Jiboo, but the ending was much more intense. It was amazing.  It was great
to hear Strange Design in the acoustic set. Right before Dave came out the
guy next to me called.  When Trey said hes bringing out Dave Matthews the
crowd went nuts. Richmonders are obsessed with Dave because hes from
Charlottesville, VA. I think hes good but a little overrated.  The songs they
did were good and I thought the Higher encore was great. Overall I thought it
was an amazing show.  The highlights for me were First Tube, Jibbo, and
Higher.
 
Peace out,
Taylor
 

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